Animal house



July 13, 1948. .LA cAPAuL ANIMAL HOUSE Filed Jan. 51, 1946 Patented July 1??, 1948 UNITEDZSTATES PATENT OFFICE 2,445,055 p ANIMAL HOUSE JosephvA. Capaul, Waunakee, Wis.i n g Application January 31, 1946, Serial No. 644,601

1 Claim.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple, economical and effective knock-down or collapsible kennel for dogs or other animals.

The specic object of my invention is to provide a floor board, peaked end panels hinged thereto, and sidewalls in coupling connection with the end panels adapted to receive a hingedly connected pair of roofing boards, one of the end panels being provided with an egress opening having a two-way hingeable door for closing the same.

With the above and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly dened by the appended claim, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claim.

In the accompanying drawings is illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of the present invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of a dog kennel embodying the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same, the section being indicated by lines 2-2 of Figs. 3 and 4.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the kennel, the section being indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of the same, the section being indicated by line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the collapsed knockdown elements which form the kennel, the same being shown piled one upon the other in a compact mass for shipping.

Referring by characters to the drawings, I indicates a floor having peaked end panels 2-2 connected to the floor edges by hinges 3 3. One of the panels 2 is formed with an egress opening 4, which opening has fitted therein a door 5, the upper edge of the same being connected to the corresponding opening edge by two-way hinges 6 6. Hence, by a slight push upon the door in either direction, it will open to permit entrance or exit from the kennel and will thereafter, by gravity, automatically swing to its closed position.

Fitted to the upper peaked edges of the panels are a pair of roong boards 1-1, which boards are connected by hinges 8 at their peaked edges. The said roofing boards are also provided with keeper strips 1 adapted to abut the inner faces of the end panels, whereby the roong boards are held against end play.

In order to insure a waterproof roof for the kennel, I provide a Waterproof sheathing 9-9, which sheathing is secured, in any suitable manner., upon the boards and is folded under the projecting eaves of said boards, as best indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The rooiing boards are adapted to rest upon and overlap the upper edges of the side-walls I0-IlI, the lower edges of which side-walls are channeled for interlocking engagement with the corresponding edges of the floor board I, as best indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The end panels, as best indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, are provided with oifset verticalli7 disposed strips II, which strips, in conjunction with the edges of the panels, form vertical interlocking grooves for the reception of the ends of the side-Walls l0, whereby'said side-Walls are locked in either direction and a sealed `joint is effected. The end panels 2 are secured to the floor I by hinges 3-3, whereby said end panels, when not in use, may be folded down upon the floor.

The upper portions of the side-walls I0 are coupled to the lend panels 2 by hook and eye connections VI2-I2. In order to insure against leakage of the kennel, I provide a channeled coping strip I3, which strip is nested over the joint between the rooiing boards and may be secured by nails or screws I4 to the roofing boards when the coping strip is iitted into position.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent, when the parts are knocked-down or collapsed, as indicated in Fig. 5, said parts may readily be assembled and secured without the aid of skilled labor, and the kennel is completed in a comparatively short space of time. It is, therefore, obvious, in assemblage, that the end panels may be folded upwardly to a vertical position and their grooved edges will engage the corresponding edges of the side-walls, which are tted into place, whereby tight corner joints will result.

The side walls are then locked or coupled to the end panels by snapping the hook and eye connections between said end panels and upper portion of the side Walls, whereby all of the vertical portions of the kennel are interlocked.

The next operation is to drop the hinged roofing boards into position upon the peaked faces of the `end panels and thereafter the channeled coping strip I3 is fitted upon the cove and secured.

Thus it will be noted that the kennel may be shipped to a user in` knock-down form and quickly and securely assembled to form a convenient Waterproof housing for dogs or other animals.

I claim:

In a knocked-down kennel having a rectangular floor, end panels hinged thereto, said panels being rabbeted along the side edges, and side panels rabbeted along the inner facev of their lower edges, the oor fitting in the rabbet of the side panels, angular strips having tWolegs meeting at a right angle at 4each corner and overlapping the adjacent panels and dening together With the rabbets in the end panels channelsreceiving the side panels, and a hook and eye connection at the corner between the end paneland side panel.

JOSEPI-IA."

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 294,600 Evesson Mar. 4, 1884 410,783 Chadd Sept. 10, 1889 10 816,146 Lf'fHipp lMar'. 27, 1906 1,661,482 Kuhne i Mar. 6, 1928 OTHER REFERENCES MPopular Science Monthly, September 1936, 15 page 63. 

